Heat Notes: Game 5, Robinson, Offseason Plans

The Heat are disappointed to be heading back to Denver with a 3-1 deficit after dropping two straight games on their home court, but they’re determined to extend the series by winning Game 5, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Monday’s contest will mark the third elimination game of the postseason for Miami, which survived in the play-in tournament against Chicago and Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston. Jimmy Butler said the team will adopt the same attitude against the Nuggets.

“We don’t have no quit,” he said. “We are going to continually fight … to get better. And then we are going into Monday and do what we said we were going to do this entire time and win. We have to. We have no other choice. Otherwise, we did all this for no reason.”

Chiang notes that coach Erik Spoelstra has to figure out several adjustments to turn the series around. Denver has defended Miami’s outside shooters more closely after a Game 2 loss, leading to Gabe Vincent and Max Strus shooting just 2-of-17 from beyond the arc in the two games at Miami. The Heat also haven’t found a way to slow down Denver’s offense, which is averaging 119.3 points per 100 possessions so far in the series.

“Going to Denver, if there’s any team that can get one anytime, anywhere, it’s us,” Udonis Haslem said. “I believe in our guys. Back against the wall, you’re going to get our best version.”

There’s more on the Heat:

• Duncan Robinson has regained his status as an elite three-point shooter during Miami’s playoff run, Chiang adds in another Miami Herald story. Robinson struggled with his shot and his confidence during an up-and-down regular season, and he’s happy to feel like he’s helping the team again. “When you look at my career, I’ve had a lot of setbacks,’ he said. “It’s kind of like the story of my career, to be honest. Setbacks followed by breakthroughs followed by setbacks. I think I’ve learned over time to trust it and know that this journey is not linear.”
• In a breakdown of how much extra money players get for advancing in the postseason, Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel notes that Robinson had an opportunity to guarantee the final $10MM of his contract by winning a title, but he failed to meet all the criteria. He needed to play in 70 regular season games and average at least 25 minutes per night, but he fell well short on both counts. He also had to appear in at least 75% of Miami’s playoff games and average 25 minutes in those. Robinson’s $19.888MM salary for the 2025/26 season comes with an early termination option and is only guaranteed at $9.888MM.
• Miami will likely start searching for its next star after the playoffs end, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Insider link). Although the team’s journey to the NBA Finals has been remarkable, the series with Denver has displayed that the Heat don’t have enough firepower to win a title. Windhorst points out that the new Collective Bargaining Agreement will make huge trades harder to complete starting in 2024, so he expects team president Pat Riley to be active this summer.